Baroque Pearl
Baroque Pearl is Blue Zirconia's Pearl and a Homeworld Gem. She, much like her owner, lives in the Crucible on an unknown Gem-controlled planet. Appearance In stature, Baroque Pearl is shorter than the average Pearl, though she has the exact same build a normal Pearl would have. However, despite being a singular Gem, her awkward appearance leaves her looking almost like a first-time fusion. She has a short, pointed nose, and her left eye is slightly lighter in color than her right eye. She has a mouth, but it is simply for aesthetic purposes as she lacks a voice. Her hair is periwinkle; on her left side, it's a short and tidy bob, while it's long and free flowing on her right side. Curiously, while her right hand is normal, she only has four fingers on her left hand. Baroque Pearl wears an asymmetrical, V-necked, pale blue dress with one shoulder strap on her left side and a dull blue belt. Her skirt fans outward, with the left portion being much longer and having a blue diamond on the end. Her right arm is covered by a transparent sky blue shawl. She wears a dull blue slipper on her left foot, and a boot of the same color on her right foot. Personality Nothing is known about Baroque Pearl's personality yet. However, as a defective Gem on Homeworld, it can be assumed she has a low self-esteem. History Baroque Pearl was given to Blue Zirconia some time during Era 2, to reward her services to Homeworld. When she was met with to inform her of this, the Greater Zirconia had an odd request: that her Pearl be deliberately misshapen to render her mute. This was done, and the Pearl emerged without a voice. Baroque Pearl has been serving Blue Zirconia ever since, her owner pleased that she was able to accept a Pearl without having to worry about her speaking up and interrupting her work. Abilities As an Era 2 Gem and defective Pearl, Baroque Pearl has some standard Gem abilities, though she is considerably weaker than an Era 1 Pearl. Unique Abilities * Holographic Projection: As a Pearl, Baroque Pearl can summon holograms from her gemstone. * Item Summon: As a Pearl, Baroque Pearl can store items in her gemstone to pull them back out later. Weaknesses * Mutism: Baroque Pearl lacks a voice, not only making her incapable of talking or singing, but also making it impossible for her to call out to alert her owner in the event of an emergency. Relationships Blue Zirconia Baroque Pearl, as Blue Zirconia's servant, carries out the Greater Zirconia's orders without hesitation. It is unknown if she has any feelings of genuine loyalty towards her owner, or if she's simply obeying because she's obligated to. Gemstone Gemology Gemstone Information * "Baroque pearl" is a term used to refer to any pearl that is asymmetrical. While the term is often used to refer to any pearl that is not a perfect sphere, in the pearl trade, "baroque" is used exclusively to refer to asymmetrical pearls. ** Since pearls are formed from an organic process, baroque pearls are more common than other types. In fact, most pearls aren't perfectly round. * A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk. Pearls are composed of the same substance as the shell of the mollusk that created them, deposited in concentric layers. * In order to be considered a true pearl, a pearl needs to contain a substance called nacre. Nacre gives pearls the luster they are known for. However, non-nacreous "pearls" are still referred to as pearls for convenience, and can still be valuable. * Pearls are relatively soft, with a hardness between 2.5 to 4.5 on the Mohs hardness scale. However, they are extremely compact, which makes them durable and resistant to being crushed. * As organic gemstones, pearls belong to the same group as ammolite, coral, ivory, jet and amber. These are all formed as a result of biological processes. * Pearls are traditionally given on the third and thirteenth anniversaries. It is the official birthstone for the month of June, a birthstone for Gemini and Cancer, and the national gemstone of the Philippines. * Pearls were historically considered the "queen" of gemstones, with diamonds serving as their "king." ** Coincidentally or not, pearls and diamonds are also two gemstones that commonly have curses associated with them. * Pearls are believed to represent femininity, purity, love, loyalty, and fertility. They are also often believed to bring wealth and encourage good health. ** Despite this, a superstition exists that pearls represent tears, and will curse one's romance if given as a gift or worn by a bride on her wedding day, bringing sadness. ** Baroque pearls don't seem to have any unique metaphysical properties associated with them, but their odd shape also does not affect their alleged potency as pearls. Category:Characters Category:Pearls Category:Blue Diamond Gems Category:Homeworld Gems Category:Independents Category:Unknown Colony Gems Category:Off-Color Gems Category:Defective Gems Category:Blue Colored Gems Category:Era 2 Gems Category:Loyalists Category:Active Gems Category:Spy Ring Members